The Toronto Raptors completed their trade for Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, 14 September, Reuters, Sportsnet, and ESPN reported. Reuters dated the Toronto dateline Sept. 14 and said the clubs closed the deal after putting it on hold during the league’s investigation of salary-cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that both sides agreed to complete the blockbuster that returns Leonard to Toronto; Sportsnet carried the same completion frame with package detail from The Athletic’s Law Murray.
In exchange for Leonard, Toronto sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033), a 2027 first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks (2030 and 2033) to the Clippers, Sportsnet stated, citing Murray on the years. Reuters summarized the outgoing package as Ingram, Dick, two future first-round picks, one future first-round pick swap, and two future second-round picks. ESPN matched the player names and the structure of two unprotected firsts, one swap, and two seconds. Those are the locked package lines for the REV 2 pack.
The trade had been agreed in outline earlier and then paused. Reuters said the Raptors put the deal on hold in July after the NBA told Toronto it would assume risk from any probe outcome affecting Leonard. Leonard led Toronto to its only NBA championship in 2019 before joining the Clippers, Reuters and Sportsnet both note. ESPN placed the initial agreement on June 30 and the pause amid the investigation.
On 2 September, the NBA announced punishments after an independent investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, Reuters reported in its Sept. 2 wire and restated in the Sept. 15 trade story. The league stripped Los Angeles of five first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033, imposed a $30 million fine, and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year. Leonard was fined $700,000 for his connection to the violations; the league did not suspend him or void his contract, Sportsnet and Reuters stated. Sportsnet also recorded yearlong suspensions for Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker and a six-month suspension for president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. When the punishment was announced, the Clippers said they “vehemently reject” the findings; Reuters noted that on Sunday Ballmer said the team had told the NBA it would comply, had paid the fine, and was moving forward.
Sportsnet's Blake Murphy reported that Leonard is waiving his entire 15 percent trade bonus as part of the deal, and that the Raptors will still be hard-capped at the first-apron line entering the upcoming season but will avoid needing to expand the deal because of that waiver. The desk records Murphy's reported waiver as a named-reporter line on Sportsnet; it does not invent salary-cap math beyond that published claim.
Leonard is a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, and two-time NBA champion on the Sportsnet biographical frame. He spent the 2018-19 season with the Raptors and was central to their championship run. Sportsnet listed his 2025-26 Clippers averages as 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game — matching Reuters' 27.9-point career-high line for the same season.
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster, in a release quoted by Reuters, said Toronto was thrilled to welcome Leonard back and cited his impact on the organization, city, and country. Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points in the 2025-26 season and finished seventh in MVP voting, Reuters reported. Sportsnet added that once the trade is completed Leonard is expected to speak to reporters at the Raptors’ media day on 28 September.
Named actors locked to Reuters, Sportsnet, and ESPN: Leonard, Ingram, Dick, Webster, Ballmer, Zucker, Frank; the Sept. 2 penalty slate ($30 million, five firsts 2029–33, suspensions; Leonard’s $700,000 fine with no void). The desk does not invent extension terms or projected standings. The checkable record is a completed package trade and the published league penalties that preceded it.
What comes next is checkable: the NBA’s published transaction log for the Leonard deal; Raptors media day on 28 September; the Clippers’ forfeited first-round slots 2029–33 on the league’s penalty notice.
Floor: Kawhi to Raptors complete; Ingram, Dick, unprotected 2031/2033 firsts, 2027 swap, two seconds (2030, 2033) to Clippers; Sep 2 NBA penalties $30M, five firsts 2029–33, suspensions; Leonard $700k fine, no void.